Blake Griffin Dunks Over Car To Win Conest

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin has been quite the highlight reel this season, but he pulled out all the stops to win the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night at the Staples Center.

Blake, with the help of a Kia Optima and teammate Baron Davis, jumped over the hood of the car for the jam.

Kenny "The Jet" Smith was his "coach" and he knew what he was doing. Smith got the Crenshaw Select Choir to come out and sing R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" before Griffin's dunk, giving the moment a dramatic flair. However, I agree with Sir Charles Barkley that the dunk itself was not that impressive. It was the theatrics that helped the #1 2009 NBA draft pick from Oklahoma secure enough online votes from fans to beat Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee.

I wonder what players have to do in the future to match the presentation of Griffin. Are they going to become glorified mascots and jump through flaming hoops to win the dunk competition? I hope not. I miss the days of Michael Jordan and Dominque Wilkins going head-to-head in the dunk contest (yeah, I know I wasn't even 1 when they first went up against each other in '84. Shut up about it.) Remember J.R. Rider's between-the-legs dunk in '94? Let me refresh your memory.

Now THAT'S an impressive dunk. In case the NBA and YouTube come down on the Blake Griffin video, watch the clip on Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie blog here.

What do you think? Were you jumping up on your feet like Spike Lee and everyone else in the Staples Center?